Sports

Former Johnson C. Smith women's basketball player Tiana Pope was killed in a single-car wreck in Winston-Salem Wednesday morning.

According to a university statement, Winston-Salem police reported Pope, 27, was speeding before she crashed her 2010 Chevrolet Aveo into a utility pole in the 500 block of Oak Summit Road at 2:45 a.m. She died at the scene. The car went off the right side of the road and police asserted speeding was a contributing factor in the wreck.

Police are still investigating.

Pope, who lived in Kernersville, played guard at JCSU from 2003-07. She scored 1,184 points, pulled down 413 rebounds, and was credited with 271 assists, and 206 steals. The Golden Bulls won CIAA Western Division titles in 2005, ‘06 and ‘07.

“JCSU has lost a great member of its family,” said JCSU women's coach Stephen Joyner, Jr., who was an assistant during Pope's playing days. “Tiana was an extraordinary athlete and an even more joyful person to be around. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family during this time of loss.”